Amber C. Carlylehttp://ambercarlyle.com
Writer & GamerSun, 28 Oct 2018 14:30:25 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.995438659Art and the Between the Veil serieshttp://ambercarlyle.com/?p=354
Sun, 28 Oct 2018 14:16:28 +0000http://ambercarlyle.com/?p=354Continue reading →]]>I have been very blessed to have some amazing friends and fans contribute artwork for my novel series. I’ll be showcasing their art here, with their permission, because I am still in awe of how amazing it is.

This artwork is created by Meonlyred. Here, she has depicted Yumi as she is called to check out an apartment in New Orleans.

I met Red through our mutual love of the Mass Effect franchise, and she has been one of my supporters in my writing endeavors for many years. Please go check out some of her other work.

Private investigator Yumi Matthews finds herself in need of examining her own life. The realization comes after someone, or something, breaks into her apartment, torching her investigation into her brother’s disappearance and leaving a cryptic message in a mirror. She has no idea what it means, but it shakes her companion Ash in a way she never thought possible. When he abruptly leaves her side, she navigates through New Orleans looking for any clues that could help bring the culprit to light and answer those burning questions, all the while trying to keep herself from falling apart.

Is she getting too close to finding out what happened to her brother? Does this have anything to do with the recent murder of Abigail Kensington? What is it about this message that spooked Ash? Will delving down this path open more doors to this supernatural realm that she’s discovered?

Private investigator Yumi Matthews finds herself in need of examining her own life. The realization comes after someone, or something, breaks into her apartment, torching her investigation into her brother’s disappearance and leaving a cryptic message in a mirror. She has no idea what it means, but it shakes her companion Ash in a way she never thought possible. When he abruptly leaves her side, she navigates through New Orleans looking for any clues that could help bring the culprit to light and answer those burning questions, all the while trying to keep herself from falling apart.

Is she getting too close to finding out what happened to her brother? Does this have anything to do with the recent murder of Abigail Kensington? What is it about this message that spooked Ash? Will delving down this path open more doors to this supernatural realm that she’s discovered?

It’s October. Fall weather is upon us, if you happen to live in an area that recognizes fall as a season. (It’s been nearly 90 degrees for me, so I wouldn’t know that feeling!) Halloween is just around the corner, and that means ’tis the season for fright!

In celebration of that, I am happy to preview the cover for The Hunted, Book 3 of the Between the Veil Series.

For the first time in a few years, I’m not actively participating in NaNoWriMo, for a few reasons. Mostly, my brain is still trying to comprehend how it is November already, as October was that insane for me.

My husband had surgery at the very beginning of the month. (He’s fine.)

Hurricane Matthew rolled through/past my home. (We’re mostly fine.)

My sweet Tommy cat passed away from complications due to his diabetes. (We’re not fine.)

I’ve been doing my best impression of Supergirl at my day job for the past 6 weeks, which finally was no longer required as of Halloween. (I’ll be fine eventually.)

That makes for a very distracted and, at times, unproductive writer. However, I’ve had lots of brainstorming sessions and help from both my husband and my primary beta reader. I’m entering the third act of the novel, and I’ve got a very clear path of where things need to go. It’s a bit terrifying on some levels, for what I have in store, so the only way for me to push through the fear is to just get all the words on paper and finish this ever important first draft.

Once this draft is completed, I can share the very exciting news that I have in store.

Geek & Sundry is offering a contest for new hard science fiction novels. While I’ve been primarily focused on the urban fantasy world that Yumi Matthews is a part of, I’ve been working on a first contact/space/science fiction novel as well.

What better way to see if there is interest, and to push me as a writer, than to try my hand at the contest. If you like what you see here, let me know by selecting a pre-order. There’s a chance to get accepted as a geek & sundry author.

Not much to tell you at the moment. I’m still plugging away at the third book of the series. I’ve had some ups and downs as I’ve gone, but there is progress – just maybe not as much as I would personally like.

There have also been exciting distractions in the form of trailers this week from both Game of Thrones (a series that I’m in the midst of re-reading again) for Season 6, and that amazing trailer for the next Captain America movie. I’ll be honest that I’ve geeked out quite a bit over both of these things. Plus, before I get to see either of these, the newest Star Wars will be out on DVD/Blu-Ray. This is going to be quite the year for my fangirl-y heart.

If you’re in search for an exciting new science fiction show, I recommend USA’s Colony. (It really should be no surprise to anyone who knows me that I’m watching this show, given that Josh Holloway is the lead on it.) It’s nearing the end of its first season, and it’s a gripping drama that has had me more than once yelling at my television. (That’s a good thing, by the way.)

I do have some surprises in store soon for my book series. The most I can say is that the preview images that I’ve received have been beyond my wildest imagination, and I cannot wait to share the finished products with you.

Stay awesome, readers.

]]>322A Glimpse of the Pasthttp://ambercarlyle.com/?p=319
Tue, 09 Feb 2016 17:59:59 +0000http://ambercarlyle.com/?p=319Continue reading →]]>My current series is very deliberately written from the sole perspective of Yumi Matthews.

However, sometimes, other voices demand to be heard, and even if it doesn’t fit into what I’m directly writing, I get those snippets onto paper. After all, they help to develop each character into the person I envision. It adds a layer of depth to them that I can then impart in how Yumi sees them.

So, on this Tuesday afternoon, here’s a tiny glimpse into the past, courtesy of Joshua Boulliard.

Everything about this place made me uncomfortable. It didn’t matter how sleek and elegant the owner tried to make it appear; I felt sleezy just for being here. I just kept telling myself that those baffoons hadn’t known what they were talking about. There was absolutely no way that she was working here, not at this Birds of Paradise strip club.

My palms were sweaty as I waited, the words of some former schoolmates dancing in my ears still. Man, you got to check out that Matthews chick! She’s got the sweetest ass in that entire club. It took most of my willpower to not go deck them, but I was still fresh from the academy. I couldn’t jeopardize my job before I even started it.

I wiped my hands against my pants legs, shaking my head at some blonde who eyed me as she walked by. The fake pout on her lips did little to entice me to change my mind. I wasn’t here to see her, and I didn’t have the kind of cash she probably thought I did. The watch on my left arm was the only valuable to my name these days, and I was fairly certain Sean bought it for me before he…

“Josh?” The catch of her all too familiar voice broke my train of thought, and I was almost glad for it. That was until reality came crashing back down on me, as I turned to see the tiny woman with glossy black hair and almond eyes.

She smiled up at me, half stepping towards me as if to hug me, the short silver satin robe riding up along her thighs. I forced myself to not smile, and to look her in the eyes, which widened as she realized that I was less than pleased to see her. “Yumi… what are you doing here?”

The new year is flying by, and I’m working hard at the third novel in the Between the Veil series.

I know that not everyone is a fan of sports, and well, this weekend is one of the biggest events for American sporting. I know that I have big plans to go to a Super Bowl party with my husband and friends.

For those of you who are less enthusiastic about football, I’m offering a discount for my first book over at Smashwords. Get it for a steal at $0.99 for this weekend!

]]>317Between the Veil Series ~ Updatehttp://ambercarlyle.com/?p=314
Tue, 13 Oct 2015 13:54:00 +0000http://ambercarlyle.com/?p=314Continue reading →]]>As I continue to work on Book 3, lovingly subtitled by my beta reader last night as “Yumi says ‘Screw you guys, I hate you all.'” based on our conversations of my writing progress, I’ve been making updates as well to where you can find all my books. After all, as wonderful as my experience with the KDP Select program was (and I had a perfectly fine experience), I was limiting my options of reaching my readers. And ultimately, that’s what is most important. Reaching the readers that want to read my books.

Now, the books can still be found at Amazon, but there are live links for both Not So Picture Perfect and Fae, Fire & Faith, live at Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Smashwords (and any other affiliate of Smashwords.)

This is just a brief update as I get back to working on Chapter 7 of Book 3.

As always, I love to hear feedback from my readers, so please let me know what you’ve thought of Yumi and her adventures, with a review or a comment here.